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The complex relationship between humans and our environment requires us to choose when and how to modify or conserve the land areas we use. Designated open spaces, parks and modern neighborhoods are all products of landscape architecture. UC Davis' landscape architecture program, one of the foremost in the nation, stresses the vital role of the landscape architect in striking a balance between urban expansion and environmental preservation. The program is fully accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects, which is the only organization sanctioned to grant such accreditations in the United States. Landscape architecture majors learn to solve problems creatively and to visualize spaces and three-dimensional concepts effectively.
Real World
Graduates are well prepared for both careers and postgraduate study. Landscape architecture majors have entered careers in private landscape architectural firms and with public agencies and corporations. They have also entered graduate programs in a wide range of environmental and design-related fields.
Major Requirements
You will begin with fundamental courses in biology, social sciences, arts and humanities, environmental horticulture and basic landscape architectural concepts. These courses will prepare you to think critically about the role of space and the designed environment in serving specific social needs. As an upper-division student, you will learn applications of technology to designing and creating outdoor spaces; you will analyze historical and contemporary theories of landscapes and gardens; and you will gain extensive hands-on experience with plants and other elements of the landscape in outdoor "laboratory" classes.
Major Adviser
Name: Sharla Harrington
Contact: sharrington@ucdavis.edu, (530) 754-8628
A Student Perspective
The program is structured to help students develop a strong foundation in landscape architecture, but there is also room to specialize by taking different studio classes. I've been able to develop my own interests in the sociology of landscape architecture and in the effects of therapeutic gardens on people. Plus, I've taken advantage of many out-of-classroom opportunities to prepare for my career: I had an invaluable internship in the field, and this summer I will travel to Australia for additional classes.
~ Alia Hansen, senior
A Faculty Perspective
Most students entering the program are not aware of the great scope of activities covered by the profession. The work we do ranges from designing garden gates to developing large-scale master plans for entire counties (or even states). Our students have opportunities to design smaller projects such as schoolyards, parks and urban plazas and larger-scale projects such as urban master plans, river restorations and historical master plans. My own research focuses on adolescents and the landscape. This work includes studies of skateboard parks, places teens value, how designers exclude teens from public scapes and how environments can help build teens' resilience to violence. Undergraduate students have helped me with all of these projects. They've interviewed skateboarders, conducted focus groups at high schools and helped produce graphics for articles and lectures.
~ Patsy Eubanks Owens, associate professor
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